The Severn Tunnel reopened to rail traffic following the completion of the upgrade works undertaken by Network Rail to prepare the railway line for electrification.
More than eight miles of conductor rail, which will power a new fleet of electric trains through the 130-year-old tunnel, was installed, whilst work also took place in the neighbouring Patchway Tunnels in south Gloucestershire. To accommodate the electrification equipment, the track was lowered in the Patchway Tunnels and underneath the nearby Little Stoke Farm bridge to preserve its historical architecture.
“We are delighted to have delivered this vital milestone in the project to electrify the Great Western Mainline as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to give passengers a bigger and better railway,” Mark Langman, Network Rail’s Western route managing director, said.
Share on:
